Saturday, August 2, 2008

Answering Bible Contradictions: Part 10

This is the final part of my 10-part answers to Bible contradictions. If you've read all of the previous, I'm glad you've taken interest. Remember, the Bible is infallible. Some people say, "Oh, there are a few nicks here and there, but the message is all that counts." I say to those people, "Think again." The Bible isn't some nice collection of tales with a good message behind them. This was written by the Lord through man, and the Lord don't stutter.

If you're reading this and you disagree, even after all these answers, throw in a comment. I'll be glad to discuss this further with anyone. Thanks for reading.

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Part 10:Who makes people deaf and blind? God: Exodus 4:11. Who maketh the dumb, or deaf, or the seeing, or the blind? have not I the LORD? Foul spirits: Mark 9: 17, 25. And one of the multitude answered and said, Master, I have brought unto thee my son, which hath a dumb spirit. Jesus ... rebuked the foul spirit, saying unto him, Thou dumb and deaf spirit, I charge thee, come out of him, and enter no more into him.

Easy pickings.

Moses wanted to exclude himself from God's plan of removing the Jews from Egyptian bondage. He said he was "slow of speech and slow of tongue." (Exodus 4:10). When God asked Moses who makes the dumb, deaf, seeing, and blond--er, blind people, He declares he is the Lord and Creator of everything. Him making all deaf people deaf, or all blind people blind is not His point. Some people become blind or deaf accidentally, or in Mark, a demon possessed someone to become that way. What is my point? My point is that we don't own the right to exclude ourselves from anything God wants us to do based on the mere reason of "disability." God is God. He can remedy that.

No contradiction.

Is death final? Yes: Job 20:7. Yet he shall perish for ever like his own dung. Isaiah 26:14. They are dead, they shall not live; they are deceased they shall not rise. No: Luke 14:14. Thou shalt be recompensed at the resurrection of the just. 1 Corinthians 15:16. For if the dead rise not, then is not Christ raised.

No, death isn't final.

In Job the text talks about what will happen to the wicked, saying that he will perish forever. The wicked are resurrected, but to a resurrection of condemnation.

In Isaiah, read the text before and after it! It's a song by the people of Judah, praising the Lord for deliverance from their enemies. They weren't saying that their enemies wouldn't rise up again in the resurrection. This wasn't the point of the song. Please read the contradiction before posting it.

Did Jesus know everything? Yes: Colossians 2:2-3. Of Christ; In whom are hid all the treasures of wisdom and knowledge. No: Mark 13:32. But of that day and that hour knoweth no man, no, not the angels which are in heaven, neither the Son, but the Father.

Jesus only knows everything earthly and relevent to this life and the everything between Himself and God the Father. He doesn't know what only God the Father knows. All the knowledge and wisdom that could be gained by humans is what Jesus knew. Everything the Father told Jesus is what He told everyone else.

No contradiction.

Who brought evil on Job? Satan: Job 2:7. So went Satan forth from the presence of the LORD, and smote Job with sore boils from the sole of his foot unto his crown. God: Job 42:11. Then came there unto him all his brethren, and all his sisters, and all they that had been of his acquaintance before, and did eat bread with him in his house: and they bemoaned him, and comforted him over all the evil that the LORD had brought upon him.

Notice how it says in 2:7, "So went Satan forth from the presence of the LORD..." This obviously shows how Satan, no matter how powerful he may be, is still under God's control. God allowed Satan to bring evil upon Job to test him so he would trust the Lord in all things. In return, since he never cursed God or anything, he received everything doubled except for his children, since his other children were alive with God in Heaven.

Plus, 42:11 speaks of what Job and his family comforted him from. They had no idea Satan was the one who did it. However, God allowed it. There's no contradiction.

Should we try to please others? Yes: 1 Corinthians 10:33. Even as I please all men in all things, not seeking mine own profit, but the profit of many, that they may be saved. No: Galatians 1:10. For do I now persuade men, or God? or do I seek to please men? for if I yet pleased men, I should not be the servant of Christ.

Paul is trying to be everything to everyone to win them to Jesus, but it doesn't include agreeing with the truth. 1 Corinthians and Galatians were letters.

Does righteousness come from following the Law? Yes: Luke 1:6. They [Zacharias and Elisabeth] were both righteous before God walking in all the commandments and ordinances of the Lord blameless. No: Galatians 2:21. I do not frustrate the grace of God: for if righteousness come by the law, then Christ is dead in vain.

Luke never implies that Zacharias and Elisabeth were righteous because they obeyed they commandments. It just says they walked in righteousness and obeyed the commandments. A better way to say the passage would be, "They were both righteous before God. And because they were both righteous they walked in all the commandments and ordinances of the Lord blameless."

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And that's that with that. Done posting Bible contradiction answers.... for now....

3 comments:

Those aren't the kind of contradictions that immediately hit me when reading the Bible. Could you please watch this short video and clarify these apparent contradictions? These are the ones that atheists like to throw around, and I'd like to hear your take:

Very interesting questions. Like TheMQ said, those aren't really things that jump off the page when reading through the Bible but nice points to talk about.

I'm especially fond of: "Is death final?" I think the story told in the four Gospels should suffice in answering this. It is, of course, "no". Jesus himself defeated death.

On a related but different note, my great-grandfather actually died and stood at the gates of heaven. They revived him via defibrillator. He came back to Earth and lived for quite a few more years. He was so angry with the doctors who saved his life. This has been quoted for three generations, but his words were: "Don't you EVER bring me back to life again!"